GM to Invest $81 Million to Hand-Build Cadillac Celestiq in Michigan

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

While automakers are focusing on all-electric SUVs to provide the bedrock for their future all-electric plans, General Motors knows that it will need a true flagship luxury sedan if it wants to appeal to the kind of consumers that purchase Cadillacs. That luxury flagship sedan will be the Cadillac Celestiq, which is rumored to have all-wheel drive, at least 300 miles of range, cutting-edge tech features, and a sleek design. 

GM To Hand-Build Celestiq

We haven't seen the Celestiq in its entirety yet or have official figures on performance, but we know the sedan should go on sale by 2025. Now, we even know where the vehicle will be built.  Cadillac recently announced that General Motors has plans to manufacture the Celestiq at the brand's Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Not only will the Celestiq be built there, but the electric sedan will be hand-assembled. 

The Global Technical Center has been General Motors' base for engineering and design since it opened in 1956. It's never been used as the central point for vehicle production, until now. With an investment of $81 million, General Motors looks to hand-assemble the upcoming Celestiq sedan at the facility. The money will go toward purchasing and installing the necessary equipment and renovating the campus. 

When GM states that it will hand-assemble the Celestiq, that doesn't mean workers will be touching every component on the vehicle. Instead, it means that the automaker will have machines that are operated by humans. Still, this is abnormal for modern vehicles, which are mostly built by hundreds of robots on an assembly line. Having a hand-assembled flagship electric sedan is exactly what Cadillac needs if it wants to compete against Tesla and stand out as an American luxury automaker. 

Celestiq To Be True Flagship Model

"As Cadillac's future flagship sedan, Celestiq signifies a new, resurgent era for the brand," said Mark Reuss, GM's president, in a statement. "Each one will be hand-built by an amazing team of craftspeople on our historic Technical Center campus, and today's investment announcement emphasizes our commitment to delivering a world-class Cadillac with nothing but the best in craftsmanship, design, engineering and technology."

The Celestiq is just one of 30 electric cars GM wants to launch by 2025. The sedan is expected to utilize GM's Ultium platform and batteries. The sedan will have "smart glass" in the roof to create transparent sections, Cadillac is expected to use over 100 3D-printed parts for the vehicle, and the cabin will have a pillar-to-pillar display. The Celestiq is expected to go into production before the end of 2023. 

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods